To anyone struggling with this...do everything he said up until the point of taking the dash free....all I did was use a long screw driver and separate the top part of the original blend door actuator....took the guts out after that. After that stuff is done you can easily reach the back screw(mine only had 1 too) . Took me about an hour start to finish.

@Suspended777DusK

Ай бұрын

I can't get a socket or even one of those ratcheting box end wrenches on that 2nd front bolt. Forget about the ones in the back. Even tried sizes other than 8mm just in case. Took the guts out too. Still can't do it. Even with a 2 x 4 propping the dash out. I'm going to have to cut it out somehow, because the only bolt I can get out is the easy one. I envy you all who have been able to do this in an hour.

@SilverBullet93GT

Ай бұрын

i think there's a video on yt somewhere guy showing how he only snaps off the top part and same part off the new assembly and awaps just the top without removing screws

I have replaced a lot of these units professionally. Just remove the airbag and vent like you showed. Remove the radio. Work with 2 hands one through the radio hole and the airbag hole. I bent a offset on a 8MM wrench box end. You need the offset to get the screw close to the firewall. You can remove all 4 screws with the wrench. I only put two screws back in. That's all it needs to hold it in place. I only use motorcraft part. The aftermarket ones don't last. I can do this job in 2 hours. Book allows 12 hours. Hope this helps.

@tidus_on_crack6570

19 күн бұрын

This is an awesome idea, thanks for the info, gotta do this on mine, will definitely save me whenever I have to do one professionally

The easy way is a class action lawsuit! We should demand a recall to have them fix this nightmare for free! Bastards!

When I had my CVPI, I looked into this. I read that the taxi company mechanics got so good at fixing these, they could bang it out in 45 minutes! It was suggested to go and talk to them, and work out a deal to get them to do your own.

@OldeCarrGuy

9 ай бұрын

Just like everything, with practice comes perfection.

If your door is stuck, often you can do the self test and it breaks the door loose. It's temporary, and sometimes you have to run the test a few times, ( you'll get a code 025 and 024 most likely), it'll work for a while When you have extreme temps, it's worth a try. Got a 2010 Grand Marquis and have used that quickie several times. Nothing to lose. Takes less than two minutes and it could work in a pinch.

@SilverBullet93GT

Ай бұрын

self test group chat - activated !

@onml.

19 күн бұрын

quick question i ran the test and only code that came back was “030” “in car automatic temperature sensor short to ground”. i found where the sensor is at cleaned it up (without removing) anything sensor cleared up but i’m still getting hot AC.Only thought i have is Could it possibly be my blendoor being stuck? 97” grand marquis

Good that you did this for the Mrs. Happy wife, happy life! I live in the southern US and only need heat a few months each year. There's no way I'm going through all that to replace my blend door. I'll pull the glove box out twice a year and switch it back and forth manually. I already have manual valves on my heater hoses.

@OldeCarrGuy

9 ай бұрын

We measure cold in months up here! Lol

Worked perfect! I cut a small piece out of the dash in front of the defrost vent. I was able to fit 1/4" extension down to get the back bolt closest to the steering wheel. Broke the front two off by prying up. Slotted the new one and wala! The old one broke off around the screw. I took a sawzall blade and cut it towards the screw until the plastic was worn away. Thank you so much for posting this. It helped a bunch!!

Yes sir! I have changed this part twice, Dorman is a up grade, and the last time I changed it I only utilized the two up front screws!

Great video! I'm getting ready to tackle this in my 2010 Grand Marquis. Love this series.

@OldeCarrGuy

9 ай бұрын

Thanks Jeff!

"Been there, done that" on my 08 LX 3 yrs ago. Wound up doing it pretty much just as you did. Like you said it just takes a little patience and it'll be good to go.

@OldeCarrGuy

9 ай бұрын

Right on

Best video of how to fix this problem. Thank you.

@OldeCarrGuy

5 ай бұрын

Thanks Robert!

Correct! From the factory there's 3 screws and a stud. So one ear just is positioned by the stud and there's 3 screws.

Congratulations. Very helpful. I dread the day when I have to do this.

@OldeCarrGuy

9 ай бұрын

You can do it!

@SilverBullet93GT

Ай бұрын

​@@OldeCarrGuyi think i have that Rob Schneider motivational poster too !

That looks like a load of fun. Good job and educational

@OldeCarrGuy

9 ай бұрын

Should be able to do it quicker next time! 😂

Good job Jason 👍 Sharing to My Vic Club so they know.

@OldeCarrGuy

9 ай бұрын

Thanks Robert!

Brian over in Calais again, i swear youve either got my house bugged or can read my mind. Last night, which was our coldest night ao far, i discovered that all i had was cold air in my 98 town car. Made fir a very unpleasant hour and a half ride. So this morning i start searching for vids about this problem. Adter a few that were less than helpful, i wentcto your channel, and low an behold right near the top is this video.

@OldeCarrGuy

8 ай бұрын

Awesome! Hope it helps!

Glad you "cheated" the blend door Jason--it seems to be the only way to do it. I opted for an OEM door for replacement (I sell Dorman but I figure if the OE lasted 20 plus yrs it was the way to go and it was only an extra $20.00). I've seen plenty of Dorman come back defective.

@OldeCarrGuy

9 ай бұрын

You may be right but it's done now!

I found that once you get the easy screw out of the actuator, and have dashboard apart and pride away from the firewall go ahead, take your diagonal cutters and cut the tab off the other accessible. Screw proceeded to taking the actuator apart. It just splits in half and you can pall little gears out of there, and then you have access to, the front passenger screw and you won’t break anything. I figured if we’re cutting things might as well cut the old one out it’s gonna get destroyed I wasn’t as lucky as you mine was a battle. Still original factory blend door on 2006 40,000 miles on car There is no way that I could find breaking the two back tabs. I cracked not broke off one of the posts so now my car will probably smell like JB weld for a little while. It’s not a bad crack, but it bugs me anyway I enjoy your videos. There’s not a whole lot of BS in them. Thanks a lot. Buster Florida

@OldeCarrGuy

6 ай бұрын

Thanks for the information and for watching my stuff.

Well, I left work today and the A/C was working great.... suddenly full heat... vent, defrost, all other HVAC functions work, but no cold air. I guess the blend door actuator finally went on my 97 LX.. I'm not looking forward to changing it... watching your video now, I hope a 97 is similar behind the dash!

@OldeCarrGuy

25 күн бұрын

Best of luck my friend!

Another excellent video. Just curious. Since my car will be 21 in Feb, was it possible to manually switch the blend door position by hand once reaching the actuator and keep it just air or heat? My wife’s Taurus had a similar issue but that blend door had a tiny rack and pinion system. The rack lost a tooth and I could simply reach the tiny rack and help push it past the missing tooth and the actuator could take it from there. I just cut the power to the actuator till the next season.

@OldeCarrGuy

9 ай бұрын

It is possible to switch manually. Just need to reach through the glove box and undo that forward screw, then pry up on the blend door actuator and flip the rod!

6:51 I kept wondering if you removed the stereo if that would give any better access

@OldeCarrGuy

9 ай бұрын

Unfortunately the ducting is directly behind the radio.

@WJHandyDad

9 ай бұрын

well darn! I've seen others utilize that break off the tab partially method and it seems to work so if I ever have to do this fix I may do that too

Thanks for recording this during a most frustrating one bolt repair. Just a quick question could you remove the stereo and cut an access hole to remove that bolt?

@OldeCarrGuy

3 ай бұрын

More than likely but you'll still me dealing with that back screw and have a cut dash.

@j-boy9256

3 ай бұрын

@@OldeCarrGuy gotcha was just wondering. Thanks again for going through it for us brother.

quick question i ran the test and only code that came back was “030” “in car automatic temperature sensor short to ground”. i found where the sensor is at cleaned it up (without removing anything) sensor code cleared up but i’m still getting hot AC.Only thought i have is Could it possibly be my blendoor being stuck?

@OldeCarrGuy

19 күн бұрын

Short answer, yes! Likely blend door actuator. Long answer, your a/c may not be working. Check your pipes to see if there is condensation on them. If so, then its working and back to the blend door. If no condensation, then you have to look further as to why the a/c isn't working.

So I put my MC unit in and guess what? It didn't work. So after diagnostics I decided to look into the sellers information and the guy on eBay had wrong information posted. So I bought a Dorman & tested it & now it works. I put just 1 screw in and it holds it just fine. I replaced the hard plastic heat and air tube with a flexible dryer vent tube and clamped it over the center stack outlet and left it loosely positioned on the right vent. Put the airbag in and next time I have to do this it will be at most a 15 minute job. I looked the heater box over while I was there..I highly doubt if I ever need to replace the heater core that the dash will come out. I'm betting I do it just like I do 97-03 F150's and then heat tape and it's just a 20 minute job afterwards too.

Very nice car!But what about Yugo and race with Kompa from Kompas Garage?

@OldeCarrGuy

9 ай бұрын

Update in the next video!

Justcut the whole front end of the car off,once replaced "JUST" tack itback together lol.what a pain in the ass that job is.

What a lovely postion for an actuator... not. Interesting about the way the old one was held in. 20k is close! It might happen quicker if people knew the Yugota was being worked on. We ALL know how everyone is interested in that. ;)

@OldeCarrGuy

9 ай бұрын

Yes Joe! I get it! lol

@Joe.Doucette

9 ай бұрын

Just razzin' ya. I know what it's like to have a lot to do.

What if you’re getting hot and cold air? It’s January and I’ll have the heat on and all of a sudden it swaps to cool and back to hot again. Thanks!!!

@OldeCarrGuy

5 ай бұрын

That's more apt to be the AC HEATER CONTROL 6W7H-19C933-AA. Check that part number on ebay to see if it matches yours

@jerrynorth8335

5 ай бұрын

I need to take it to get it diagnosed so I know for sure. I have the automatic control like the vehicle in this video. 2011. Suggestions??

@OldeCarrGuy

5 ай бұрын

As I mentioned, it likely is the controller. But I would take it to a reputable garage to have them diagnose it for you 100%. I would not recommend the Ford dealer as they will condemn everything and you will pay through the nose and still likely not have a fixed car!

@jerrynorth8335

5 ай бұрын

@@OldeCarrGuylast question. Why do you say it’s most likely the controller?? Thanks so much for your help. I’ve been getting a lot of different possibilities and want to narrow it down to what makes the most sense.

@OldeCarrGuy

5 ай бұрын

@@jerrynorth8335 I say that because it is the heart of your HVAC system. Inside there are O-rings that work on valves that run under vacuum when those O-rings fail, they will cause the system to inadvertently switch between hot and cold, back-and-forth. On the back of those devices, there is a rubber manifold that plugs into the back that is operated by vacuum. It is possible that it is out of place or plugged. There are ways to test the lines if you have a hand operated vacuum pump and nowhere each line goes.

mine is sounding pretty creaky right now. I suspect it wont be long.

@OldeCarrGuy

9 ай бұрын

Get at'er!

It's a real sumbitxx. I attempted once today. I kept running into the mistakes and changes the person who did it before me.. so I had my dash wedged out with a 2x4 stub I cut last night for this job. And then because they must have lost the original screws I spent probably 2 hours today looking for the correct tools. I simply cannot believe how the last person left it. They put the screw in on the far corner behind the radio but must have lost the easy one. But they tightened the far screw to the max. And it wasn't an 8 mm, wasn't a 7mm, wasn't a 9/32, wasn't a 5/16.. wasn't a 9 mm. I'm going to go to a tool dealer in the morning to buy some specialty tools that I shouldn't need. I'd never use the Dorman. That is what is on there now and that LT warranty is not worth the time & effort you spend replacing them. But I completely understand why you recommend it. I saved a Motorcraft I bought from another vehicle. So I didn't have to buy one. The way these last forever is if you will pick a temperature and leave it year round. On my last panther platform I set it at 69 degrees and that was fine in the summer and the winter in that car. In the modern truck I occasionally drive I have it set at 70 degrees. On manual controlled but with a blender door actuator I either have about 3/4ths heat or full cold and I switch them and leave them for a whole season and then slowly change it from one to the other and I don't have to replace actuators that way. Tomorrow I'm supposed to be doing brakes and fuel filters and other odds and ends but I'll be working on this again. I just thought I'd watch someone else to see if I was thinking right. I think I'll pull the radio tomorrow because I think I'll have less scratches on my hands and be able to have both hands on the job. I really love driving the later models. This is my first post 02 and I really like the modern rack and pinion, Watt linkage, and the seat is just perfect for me. I haven't had one as good as this for a long time. I just need to find a white passenger door...I buy them with body damage to save a couple thousand off retail. I might not fix it because I've learned in the last several years looks isn't everything. In our northern states people drive rust buckets until the frames break and they are no longer drivable. A friend used to take a Greyhound to Milwaukee to get another $75 car. Here those same cars were 7-800 dollars. Now it would be 500 invested versus $4000 here. They were rusty but they ran fine and that's all he cared about.

Curious, I recently changed out the EATC unit (2006 MGM) because the air stopped blowing from the vents, only the defrost. I changed it out, bingo it all worked again and was blowing ice cubes once more. But, maybe 2 weeks later, suddenly the horrible knocking sound and my AC is gone, only heat. I thought I heard in one of these videos it's all vacuumed controlled. Did I mess up the first repair to cause this new one? I know it's the dreaded blend door problem but wondering if it's just a coincidence or related.

@OldeCarrGuy

4 ай бұрын

Sounds completely coincidental to me. But yes, it's blend door time.

@PNFLnetwork

4 ай бұрын

Crap :) Are all these panther cars the same? Is it 100% that if I took out the airbag and the plastic tubing, I will have access to this part. I live in AZ and all I care about is AC. These videos make this seem very doable. Remove the one corner screw, pry it up enough to move that metal rod and leave power disconnected to actuator. The AC would run forever then, supposedly. True? @@OldeCarrGuy

@OldeCarrGuy

4 ай бұрын

100% Correct! Slide the rod to the side and you’re good! but if you’re going that far, the rest of the job isn’t too bad.

@PNFLnetwork

4 ай бұрын

I am not a super handy car person so just the thought of doing any of this is a bit intimidating. And at this point, just want AC since I never use the heat anyway. But paying another 1K for this is unacceptable after doing it 2 years ago. Thanks for your help. @@OldeCarrGuy

@PNFLnetwork

4 ай бұрын

Well, am close to giving up. #1, I cannot get that top screw out for the vent on the right. I can touch it but I just cant grab it to turn. #2 my car does not look like all these videos. I took the glove compartment out, airbag out but now I see the plastic duct but on the left side appears to be this black plastic covering. So, even if I get the vent and duct out, that area is encased in some hard shell black plastic. So frustrating!@@OldeCarrGuy

There's another one of these gadgets in the dash that controls, floor, vent, defrost, etc. It also has a habit of failing. Mostly because the guts of these modules have plastic gears that simply are too weak for the operation that is needed.

My 07 only blows thru the AC vent, not the floor - will this fix it?

@OldeCarrGuy

4 ай бұрын

There is a blend door actuator that controls this as well, but not the one I'm showing in this video. If you have the automatic climate control, you may be having a controller issue. Best to do the self test to see which code it's giving you!

@FrancisJFox

4 ай бұрын

Gotcha ~ thank ya kindly ..

@FrancisJFox

4 ай бұрын

@@OldeCarrGuy I did some trouble shooting & I determined the temperature actuator works, it’s the dashboard vent & the floor vent that does not work. My car is a Police Inspector 2007 & the HVAC is the basic 3 dials. Do you think that’s what failed or is there another actuator? Thank you & Hooray for Canada 🇨🇦 from Detroit - your neighbor to the north.

@OldeCarrGuy

4 ай бұрын

@@FrancisJFoxeven with the basic controls of the police cars, the switching of vents is still controlled by blend door actuators and vacuum from the controls. You could have a vacuum leak or the actual control switch itself may be faulty.

@FrancisJFox

4 ай бұрын

Eh, thanks buddy - I’ll let ya know how it goes :) I’m gonna wait till it gets a little warmer Keep up the great content & thanks for the instruction video.

So what if you got the one out and go to connect a new one and the bar does not move with it on what do i do then

@OldeCarrGuy

29 күн бұрын

Fix the bar and you’ll be fine!

@securitygal

29 күн бұрын

@@OldeCarrGuy lol that doesn't help me. Iv watched videos upon videos and nobody shows what's going on with mine. Don't have the cash to put it in a shop

@OldeCarrGuy

29 күн бұрын

It’s literally just a flap! If it doesn’t move, then there must be something holding it. Get a mirror and a flashlight and see if there’s an obstruction!

@securitygal

21 күн бұрын

No obstruction.

@OldeCarrGuy

21 күн бұрын

@@securitygal Did you remove the blend door actuator and try moving the rod manually? It should move freely with your fingers.

Get this craziness: My blend door is loose and it flips to a/c every time I make a hard left turn, and then it flips to heat when making a hard right. It’s nuts and I’ve been driving like this for several years now lol.

@OldeCarrGuy

3 ай бұрын

Sounds like the plastic tab is physically broken.

@johnfury6481

3 ай бұрын

@@OldeCarrGuyI bet you’re right. Maybe one day I’ll get motivated enough to find out :)

@SilverBullet93GT

Ай бұрын

seems like if the missus is cold you need to make a hard right

been putting off changing the blend door actuator mine is stuck in heat

@OldeCarrGuy

9 ай бұрын

Now you have an idea of how to change it!

😇👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

Just wait till you have to remove the dash to get the whole plenum box out , because the flap inside it broke , giving you no defrost and no heat , just out of the vents ... Fun times...

@OldeCarrGuy

8 ай бұрын

Great!

@mason2x862

8 ай бұрын

i just got my first car 2000 MGM LS and my defroster doesn’t work do you think it would be this?

@jeromezielinski8773

8 ай бұрын

@@mason2x862 does all the air come out of the vents and nothing from the defrost or heat settings ? And don’t have manual or auto control panel ?

@OldeCarrGuy

8 ай бұрын

@@mason2x862 I don't think so. Your vent controls are controlled by vacuum through your climate control switch.

We watch “how to“ videos to see all things necessary to complete the task. The really good videos show the “actual“ removal of ALL parts that must be removed to get at the item in question. Watch South Main Auto as an example. Thanks

@OldeCarrGuy

4 ай бұрын

Thanks for the constructive criticism! I have never claimed to be a "HOW TO" channel. I figure if you're inclined to attempt the job by watching a KZread video, you can get to the heart of the job without needing to be told to open the car door! lol

@lsx_doc

4 ай бұрын

The really good videos are the ones that get the job done and save you time and headache. If you wana see everything little thing come apart you are just adding unnecessary steps